Cable management is often difficult in CATV enclosures, such as Scientific-Atlanta's Gainmaker® or 1 GHz node, due to the large number of components that must fit within the small enclosure. Typically, a node contains a cable management system that is specifically configured for the particular arrangement of components and cable employed by the customer. In fiber optic applications, such as the GS7000 Node application, an assortment of components are needed to perform common tasks such as combining wavelengths, patching fibers together, splitting optical power, etc. These tasks are typically performed by a particular component or combination of components, such as Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) modules and Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM) cassettes, filters, Course Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) modules, fiber storage devices, adapter bulkheads, etc. These components may be provided by a variety of different vendors and have a variety of different shapes and form factors. This makes it difficult to provide a cable and component management system that can readily accommodate the different modules and resulting cable patterns that different operators may employ.
For example, when an operator wants to upgrade to different components, he may need to rearrange the components to ensure a proper bend radius of cable. Newer, smaller components may provide space savings that would allow for additional components to be stored in the node, but which may also require different cable management techniques than those used with previous components. The inability to easily manage the components and associated cable may limit the capabilities that could otherwise be provided in the node. Furthermore, under many present systems it is difficult for a technician to easily determine the status of components or the particular arrangement without moving components or cables. Inadvertent shifting or misplacing of cables can lead to system performance problems.